Whether diverting Lake Erie or other Great Lakes water to bail out our dried-up fellow states is preposterous or possible is a matter of dramatically different opinions.

But when Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and some state lawmakers bowed their heads last November, they illustrated the continuing desperation as drought persists in parts of the United States.

"That picture -- the governor of Georgia praying for rain on the Statehouse steps -- has been burned into my memory, that's for sure," said Sean Logan, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "It was a reminder of an important message: Water issues can bring you to your knees."